Latest KFF Health News Stories
Record Number Of Texans Get ACA Premium Aid That May Soon Lapse
Increased health insurance subsidies — set to expire with the American Rescue Plan Act at the end of the year — drove about 500,000 more Texas residents to sign up for a marketplace plan, according to new analysis. Other news out of the states relates to hunger, meningococcal disease, smoking, and more.
Threat Of Strike Looms Over Connecticut Nursing Homes
The state’s largest health care workers served notice to five nursing homes of a potential work stoppage. Other health industry news relates to treatment turf wars, mergers, and court cases.
Report: Routine Suicide Screening Of Young People Doesn’t Help
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a draft report that says it can’t recommend routinely screening young people who have no obvious signs of suicidal thoughts. Critics of the report say screening can’t cause harm. The same task force did suggest anxiety screening should start at age 8.
Study Highlights Opioids As Culprit Behind Soaring Teen Overdose Deaths
Media outlets cover data on overdose deaths among young people in 2019 to 2020, showing the rate was up — nearly doubling — for the first time in a decade and also rose into 2021. The main factor wasn’t a surge in drug-taking, but rather pills laced with fentanyl or other opioids.
Pandemic Closures Contributed To Rise In Cases Of STDs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the number of cases of syphilis and gonorrhea rose in 2020, continuing an increase that has been concerning public health officials. Part of the issue, CDC says, was the closure of screening clinics and people putting off visits to doctors because of concerns about the spread of covid, as well as a public health focus on the pandemic efforts.
Oklahoma Enacts Strict Abortion Ban That Would Prosecute Providers
Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, signed a bill to outlaw most abortions in Oklahoma and punish providers severely if they perform them. The New York Times notes 30 states have introduced near-total abortion bans this year.
Studies Confirm Covid Shots Have Low Heart Health Risks
A report in the Wall Street Journal covers studies into whether covid vaccinations bring a risk of developing inflammatory heart conditions: In short, they do not, with risks no more elevated than for other vaccines. The Guardian looks at one of those studies that found myocarditis cases after a covid infection were rare.
Researchers Link Inflammation From Covid Virus To Loss Of Smell
The study, led by Johns Hopkins scientists, found that inflammation caused by the virus damages neurons in the olfactory bulb at the base of the brain. Also, drugmaker Moderna — after its success developing a covid vaccination — is turning its sights to a flu shot.
Global Covid Tally Passes 500,000,000. And That’s Likely An Undercount.
As the Johns Hopkins University tracker tops half a billion covid infections worldwide, experts worry about the pace — known cases jumped from 300 million in January to 400 million in February — and that testing deficiencies are likely not counting many new infections. News outlets also report on BA.2 spread in the U.S. as well as other subvariants.
Last Year Was Deadliest Ever In US History
An AP report looking into why finds that covid was the biggest culprit, with a surprising number of Americans refusing to get vaccinated. Also contributing to the nation’s 3.465 million deaths in 2022 were more drug overdoses as well as fatalities caused by conditions like cancer, diabetes and liver disease.
Perspectives: Doctors’ Fear Of Opioids Hurts Patients; What Is The Right Decision On Aduhelm?
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Blood Cancer Drug Trials To Resume; Take A Deeper Dive On Antibiotics Use
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages delve into these public health topics.
Shanghai Covid Surge Prompts Partial US Government Pullout
All non-emergency government staff were ordered out of Shanghai by the State Department, which also said all travel to China should be reconsidered. Meanwhile, South African scientists uncovered new subvariants of omicron covid — BA.4 and BA.5 — and they’ve been found in the U.K. already.
San Diego To Experiment With Sending 911 Calls To Nurses
The plan is to reduce some first responders’ workload and lower wait times in hospitals. In other news, thousands of children are going hungry; an aid-in-dying bill in Connecticut stalls; Sierra Health loses a $200 million lawsuit in Las Vegas; and more state news.
Report Finds Black Babies Can Expect 5 Years Less Life Than White Babies
That harsh statistic is just one from the annual report on the State of Black America from the National Urban League — another: Black women are 31% more likely to die from breast cancer. Meanwhile, wildfire-damaged air quality makes pregnancy riskier in Western states.
Florida’s Opioids Trial Against Walgreens Begins
The state accuses Walgreens of not noticing easily-spotted “red flags” for opioid abuse or fraud in more than half of the opioid prescriptions it issued in Florida between May 2006 and June 2021. Meanwhile, a mistrial is sought against the Ohio ex-doctor accused of paid med overprescription.
FDA Exploring Route To Cheaper Drugs Through Imports
Meanwhile, congressional committees seek responses from the Food and Drug Administration after a Politico investigation uncovered slow action on food safety and nutrition problems. Also, the FDA itself says Bausch Health released misleading claims about a plaque psoriasis treatment.
JAMA’s New Editor-In-Chief Is A Health-Equity Researcher
Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo is a health-equity researcher, and the first person of color to edit the American Medical Association’s medical journal. A potential strike at Cedars-Sinai, telehealth reimbursement rules, and Vermont denying a 10% rate rise for hospitals are also in the news.
